Typically, monolithic catalyst reactors, as an example of crossflow reactors, are used to process fluids (e.g., gases) resulting from industrial processes such as combustion processes for steam generation to produce electricity, for example. Often, certain compounds need to be reduced and/or eliminated from the resultant fluid of an industrial process to meet certain environmental and/or regulatory standards.
Monolithic ceramic honeycomb catalyst reactors are typically used, but are relatively expensive and have a decreased resistance towards catalyst poisons and inhibitors. Often, monolithic honeycomb catalysts have high breakage rates due to catalyst damage resulting from significant differences in thermal expansion between the ceramic catalyst and a steel support structure containing and/or positioning the ceramic catalyst. These known monolithic catalyst honeycomb reactors are typically used to avoid lower gas velocities often associated with bulk catalyst (e.g., randomly packed catalysts, etc.). Such lower velocities and/or high pressure drops typically result from crushed and/or damaged catalyst material. The same principle may hold when comparing known monolithic filtration appliances to bulk filtration systems, especially while filtering hot fluids or fluids with fluctuating temperatures, or while comparing regenerative thermal reactors comprising monolithic heat recovery media versus such reactors with bulk heat recovery media.
The figures are not to scale. Instead, to clarify multiple layers and regions, the thickness of the layers may be enlarged in the drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts. As used in this patent, stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, or plate) is in any way positioned on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part, means that the referenced part is either in contact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above the other part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween. Stating that any part is in contact with another part means that there is no intermediate part between the two parts.